You got pregnant at age 16. You found yourself in a situation nobody should have to deal with. But there you were, pregnant, alone, and with very limited options. It is easy to see why the screenwriters made you decide against abortion. If you had had an abortion, there would have been no story. There would have been no drama, no conflict, and your life would not have changed. All those things create tension, and make a good movie plot, but in real life, an abortion would have been a better solution.
Of course your first mistake was having unprotected sex, but there was nothing you could have done about it by the time you knew you were pregnant. As a citizen of this country, and as a result of the supreme court case Roe v Wade, you are entitled to a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th amendment. This right extends to the issue of abortion. Since you live in Minnesota and are a minor, you are required to inform your parents before having an abortion, but they do not need to consent. Ultimately, it was your decision, and your decision alone as to whether or not an abortion was the right option. As a result, I respect your decision, even though it was not one that I would have made in your position.
It is easy to see why abortion is such a controversial topic. You are killing a potential human life. Even though that life is incapable of living independently, many people still see it as murder. Even though I am pro choice, I hesitate to say that I am pro abortion. In all honesty, I can see both sides of the argument. However, since it is such an emotional issue, and since there are so many circumstances in which a woman would seek an abortion, I believe that the choice should be left up to the individual, not the government.
According to a cnn poll, 18% of americans think that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, but the reality is that very few women regret having their abortions. According to a PLOS study, “ at all time points over three years, 95% of participants reported abortion was the right decision, with the typical participant having a >99% chance of reporting the abortion decision was right for her” In addition, the study reported that “Over 53% reported that the decision to seek the abortion was difficult or very difficult”. This data suggests overwhelmingly that the decision to have an abortion is not a snap decision that will be later regretted, but instead, a well thought out and heavily weighed choice.
So Juno, while the decision to have an abortion would have been the easiest and simplest way to deal with your unwanted pregnancy, and return to your normal life, I respect your decision to adopt. I think that by going through a pregnancy, you learned a lot about life and grew as a person. You dealt with the situation in a very mature, responsible way, so that you and your child had the opportunity to live successful lives. In the end that is all that matters.
You got pregnant at age 16. You found yourself in a situation nobody should have to deal with. But there you were, pregnant, alone, and with very limited options. It is easy to see why the screenwriters made you decide against abortion. If you had had an abortion, there would have been no story. There would have been no drama, no conflict, and your life would not have changed. All those things create tension, and make a good movie plot, but in real life, an abortion would have been a better solution.
Of course your first mistake was having unprotected sex, but there was nothing you could have done about it by the time you knew you were pregnant. As a citizen of this country, and as a result of the supreme court case Roe v Wade, you are entitled to a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th amendment. This right extends to the issue of abortion. Since you live in Minnesota and are a minor, you are required to inform your parents before having an abortion, but they do not need to consent. Ultimately, it was your decision, and your decision alone as to whether or not an abortion was the right option. As a result, I respect your decision, even though it was not one that I would have made in your position.
It is easy to see why abortion is such a controversial topic. You are killing a potential human life. Even though that life is incapable of living independently, many people still see it as murder. Even though I am pro choice, I hesitate to say that I am pro abortion. In all honesty, I can see both sides of the argument. However, since it is such an emotional issue, and since there are so many circumstances in which a woman would seek an abortion, I believe that the choice should be left up to the individual, not the government.
According to a cnn poll, 18% of americans think that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, but the reality is that very few women regret having their abortions. According to a PLOS study, “ at all time points over three years, 95% of participants reported abortion was the right decision, with the typical participant having a >99% chance of reporting the abortion decision was right for her” In addition, the study reported that “Over 53% reported that the decision to seek the abortion was difficult or very difficult”. This data suggests overwhelmingly that the decision to have an abortion is not a snap decision that will be later regretted, but instead, a well thought out and heavily weighed choice.
So Juno, while the decision to have an abortion would have been the easiest and simplest way to deal with your unwanted pregnancy, and return to your normal life, I respect your decision to adopt. I think that by going through a pregnancy, you learned a lot about life and grew as a person. You dealt with the situation in a very mature, responsible way, so that you and your child had the opportunity to live successful lives. In the end that is all that matters.
Sources:
__https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade__
__https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minors_and_abortion__
__https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(film)__
__http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/14/politics/abortion-poll-cnn-orc/__
__http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0128832__